Tony Curtis, born as Bernard Schwartz (June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010), was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades. It was in the 1950s and early 1960s that his height of popularity grew more than ever. Curtis was seen in more than 100 films covering a wide range of genres, from light-hearted comedy to intense drama. In his later years, Curtis was seen actively involved in television shows.
Early Life And Childhood
Tony Curtis was born on June 3, 1925, in Manhattan, the USA, to parents Helen and Emanuel Schwartz and was raised along with his brother, Julius, in extreme poverty, such that their parents could not afford to feed them.
After joining a boys' scout camp, he learned to work hard and started schooling from Seward Park High School. Curtis served the US Military as Pacific Submarine Force before getting into movies.
Professional Career
Tony stepped into Hollywood at the young age of 23 in 1948. He henceforth was successful in making his mark as a versatile actor, making over a hundred appearances in movies and television shows.
Tony had worked in numerous movies like Sierra, Woman in Hiding, Kings Go Forth, David & Fatima, Hardball, Welcome to Germany, Little Miss Marker, Lepke, Don’t Make Waves, The Great Race, Taras Bulba, The Great Imposter, The Vikings, Sweet Smell of Success, The Rat Race, and others.
His notable television appearances are Startime, The Song Is You, The Persuaders!, McCoy, The Third Girl from the Lefty, The ABC Comedy Hour, The Ushers, The Fall Guy, Tarzan in Manhattan, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Hope & Fath, 60 Minutes, and more!
Is Married Six Times
About personal life, Curtis married six times. His first marriage with actress Janet Leigh lasted from 1951 to 1962, and the former couple has two children, Kelly, and Jamie Lee, together. Curtis, along with Jamie, was involved in philanthropic works too.
After 11 years of marriage, the couple went separate ways, and in the following year, Curtis got married to his co-star Christine Kaufmann and had two daughters, Alexandra and Allegra. The couple finally got divorced in the year 1968.
On April 20, 1968, Curtis married Leslie Allen, with whom he had two sons, Nicholas Bernard and Benjamin Curtis, until 1982 when the couple separated. Two years after the failure of his third marriage, Curtis married Andrea Savio in 1984; they divorced in 1992.
The following year, on February 28, 1993, he married Lisa Deutsch, and they divorced only a year later in 1994. In the same year, he lost his son Nicholas Bernard due to a heroin overdose.
His sixth and last wife, Jill Vandenberg, was 45 years younger than him, who he married on November 6, 1998.
His Net Worth During the Last Days
Tony Curtis's net worth was estimated to be around $60 million. He earned a hefty amount of money from his acting career.
His Death
Unfortunately, Curtis had a drinking problem, and due to a drug overdose, he lost his life to cardiac arrest at the age of 85 on September 29, 2010.
